To be told, a whole heck of a lot. We recently reviewed, debated, and discussed the iPhone SE2 which though I am not part of the Apple ecosystem, I really felt was a home run product offering for Apple. And if you look at current iPhone SE2 sales figures, you'll note it has been just that for Apple. But what about the Android users who want something similar (i.e. excellent value and few compromises for around $400)? Since the SE2 release date, two new Android offerings have arrived at market for under $400, and both offer the SE2 a run for its money in the segment. Here's a video comparison of the iPhone SE2 ($399 base offering), the OnePlus Nord ($379 base version), and the just released Google Pixel 4a ($349 Only one version) in terms of picture and video quality. What I came away with after watching this is that all of these phones offer excellent pic and video quality even when compared to $1k flagship phones, while costing less than half of what those flagship counterparts do. So the question at this point in time becomes, do I need a $1k+ phone to accomplish my daily activities, or can one of these phones meet my needs for less than half the buy in cost? I just find it incredible that these phones are making that choice possible.



Thoughts, comments, and debate is welcome, but please let's not turn this into an Apple fanboys versus Android lovers weeing contest.

I just went from a 100 dollar to a 150 dollar phone and I can't imagine what a 400 or 1000 dollar plus phone can do that mine doesn't.

Currently have https://smile.amazon.com/gp/pr..._title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's up to 200 right now but I think I paid 160 or 170 for it two weeks ago.

Had a BLU R2 before.

quote:

Originally posted by Jester814:
I just went from a 100 dollar to a 150 dollar phone and I can't imagine what a 400 or 1000 dollar plus phone can do that mine doesn't.

Currently have https://smile.amazon.com/gp/pr..._title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's up to 200 right now but I think I paid 160 or 170 for it two weeks ago.

Had a BLU R2 before.

That phone wouldn't hold half of the storage I'm using on my phone right now. It has half the RAM running at about 1/3 the speed and 1/6th the graphics power. It was released over 2 1/2 years ago, and it was a budget phone then.

For an inexpensive phone for calls, texts, and basic web browsing though, it's perfectly fine. For more app usage, especially concurrently, it's not so much.

I have a Pixel 4 I got on sale during the holidays for $500, so it's not like I got a super expensive, super high-end phone myself. Higher end phones will give you a bigger better screen, more storage, more RAM, a bigger battery, 5G, crazy things like folding screens or four cameras.

But then, a $500 Glock will shoot the same round a $2000 Dan Wesson will.

The Pixel 4a looks like a fantastic phone, especially at that price.

I have an iPhone 6 now. If it broke today I would look for an 8. Last I looked I thought they were under $400, maybe closer to $300.

Pixel 4a XL is a really good phone... I had to buy a 3a XL (I needed it yesterday) and it has been terrific. Long battery life and really good camera. I'v heard really good things about Apple's $400 iPhone SE is rated quite well too. None of them are 5G capable. All 3 phones would be worth a serious look.

Everytime my wife or I need a new phone we always go to Ebay and buy a model 1 or 2 steps behind to current top model. Like the Samasung S10 is out now so I'll buy maybe an S8 or even an S7. Usually under $200. The difference to me is nill.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
I have an iPhone 6 now. If it broke today I would look for an 8. Last I looked I thought they were under $400, maybe closer to $300.

The SE is much better then the 8 since it has the same chip as the 11 pro

I buy flagship phones for this reason. I'm on a Samsung Note 9 right now. I mainly do it for the cameras which are incredible. I barely pull out my older micro 4/3.

I have an iPhone 6 and the wife has the first SE. We’re upgrading this year and we’re both getting the SE2. For the price I can’t see a reason to go with anything else iPhone at this time.

When did the Nord get a US release?

I got my daughter the SE2 recently and my son's OnePlus 5 will no longer work by 2022.

My primary phone is an iPhone XS Max with a OnePlus 6 as my secondary.

Maybe I'll get two Nords if they are less than $400 each.

I'll have to wait and see if ATT will okay the Nord.

I have an old iPhone 6s and got the wife a new SE 2020 iPhone a couple months ago when her old Nexus Android phone finally bricked itself. Her SE is fast and has plenty of memory. Seems like a decent buy compared to Apple’s high end phones.

I recently went from (read: lost) a $600 Galaxy S7 to a $150 Galaxy A10e, and I'm just as happy with it.

The main difference is that the iPhone SE will still have some value (whether through trade-in or open market) in a couple of years.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Thoughts, comments, and debate is welcome, but please let's not turn this into an Apple fanboys versus Android lovers weeing contest.

From just a pure photo capability/quality standpoint, I'd say either the Pixel 4a or iPhone SE (2020) wins. If low-light performance is your determining factor, then the Pixel, otherwise I'd say the iPhone. I also prefer the form factor of those two over the OnePlus Nord.

I have noticed my SE (2020) tending to blow out bright backgrounds. I'm hoping Apple will be able to somewhat fix that in a future OS update.

Pixels are great phones. I'd get a 4A if I needed a phone right now for sure.

Used the original Pixel XL until it was no longer supported, then bought a 3XL to replace that. Incredible camera, and everything just works. Battery goes all day long and then some. 4A battery should be even better.

I just wish they could keep them as small as my original SE. Anything over its 5.15"x2.6" including the Otterbox case isn't convenient for how I use a smart phone.

I went from a Samsung S7 Edge to the Pixel 3a XL.. battery life is about 3-4x better, camera is worlds better in low light. It's a steal for about $360 from Amazon during last Black Friday sale. 9 months later today, it's still as smooth as the day I got it.

The camera is truly amazing. In dark room, it's like having night vision.

We use Tracfone and recently bought a Motorola E5 for less than 60 dollars and it does anything we need with extra bells and whistles we don’t need.

quote:

Originally posted by Blackmore:
I just wish they could keep them as small as my original SE. Anything over its 5.15"x2.6" including the Otterbox case isn't convenient for how I use a smart phone.

Personally, I feel the SE (2020), which is about the same size as my old 6S, is about the perfect size. Small enough to fit comfortably in a front pocket, with room to spare, and just large enough for most stuff to be mostly readable in most light most of the time.

I liked my Galaxy but have been using iPhones for years now.

I keep them for about 4 years and at that point, the battery just doesn't do it and I want the better camera. The one thing about Apple products I like is the resale value.

We use our phones for so much these days I will pay a little more something that I really like.